Monday 3 February 2014

ESP Bass IV - and no, that isn't a typo!

guitarz.blogspot.com:

This is a weird one. It's a Japanese-made ESP Bass IV, obviously based on the now legendary Fender Bass VI six-string bass which originally went into production in 1961 and which was recently reissued in modified form as a part of Fender's Pawn Shop series and even more recently as a Squier Modified Vintage model.

However, this ESP version has one major difference from the Fender in that it DOESN'T HAVE SIX STRINGS. That's right, this is - rather confusingly - a four-string version of a six-string bass, hence it's a Bass IV rather than a Bass VI. I guess it's for those who like the Bass VI's stylings but would prefer a traditional four-string bass. (Actually, there are a couple of other differences too: it doesn't have a tremolo, and the bridge is set back further implying that this has a longer scale than the short-scale Bass VI).

To my eyes it looks rather odd, it's like have a bass Stratocaster; it looks good but slightly wrong at the same time.

This particular ESP Bass IV (I have to keep checking myself - it's so easy to automatically type that as "VI") is currently listed on eBay with a Buy it Now price of US$1,720.

G L Wilson









































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4 comments:

  1. That's quite a funny coincidence... about three years ago i made a jaguar-style short scale bass with a tremolo and three pickups and named it "bass VI" too! Here is a to it if you're interested: http://dedelevee.weebly.com/bass-iv.html
    Great blog by the way! I have been following you for years and i can say it's a great source for both information and inspiration. Thank you very much!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I actually really dig this. I love the Bass VI design, but I never know what to DO with the dang thing. Plus this would look great on stage. Although I hate the ESP logo. It looks terribly out of place.

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  3. Anonymous10:49 pm

    Recognized this one straight away, it's one of tetsu (now tetsuya) from L'Arc~en~Ciel's old signature models, you can see it on their site: http://www.espguitars.co.jp/artist/tetsuya/index.html.

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  4. Anonymous10:50 pm

    It's one of tetsuya's (from when he was tetsu) old signature models: http://www.espguitars.co.jp/artist/tetsuya/index.html

    ReplyDelete

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